Hosiery



Nov. 5,A 1940. J. L.. I ESHER HosIERY Filed Nov. 16. 1959 NVENTOR JOHN LEE LES/ER. BY

ATTORNEY v M. l l @alla l Ix IIIII M u ,L

Mm w mi lll/li Illlll Patented Nov. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES HOSIERY John Lee Lesher, Williamstown, Pa.,

. Unrivaled Hosiery Mill, Inc.,

assignor to Williamstown,

' Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 16, 1939, serial' No. 304,648

Claims.

This invention relates to hosiery and has for an object to provide an improved top for the same whereby the hosiery will beself-supporting on the leg of the wearer.

A further object of this invention is to incorporate elastic thread into top of plain knit hosiery so that the same will be self-supporting on the leg of the wearer and so that the elastic will not be unduly binding when the hosiery is being worn` or when it is being put on or taken oi the leg.

Other advantages and objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the drawing in which:

Figure l is a side viewof a the invention,

Figure 2 is a view of the upper part of a stocking showing a modication of the invention,

Figure 3 is a view of the upper part of a stocking showing another modiiication of the invention,

Figure 4 is a detail stitch view of a manner of incorporating the elastic yarn in the body fabric, and

Figure 5 is a detail view in cross section of a rib formed by means of the incorporation of the elastic yarn in the body fabric.

This invention is applicable to hosiery of the type adapted to be worn with the upper end thereof below the knee of the wearer Whether it extend above or below the calf of the leg. It is the purpose to provide such hosiery with selfsupporting means with the use of the minimum amount of elastic yarn in the hosiery for such purpose. The use of more than the minimum .amount of elastic yarn than is required to make the hose self-supporting is objectionable as itunduly binds the leg and makes itI diiilcult to put on and take off, especially over the heel.

In Figure 1 is shown a stocking 6 having the usual foot 1, leg 8 andthe top of plain fabric modied according to my invention. The top is of-the usual length and has an imitation rib section 9 in the front and a plain section III in the back, 'an elastic yarn being incorporated in the 15 stockingembodying section or panel 9 but not in the panel I0. As

shown at II at the upper endof the stocking, the elastic is continuous around the entire circumference forone or more courses to give an elastic effect to the upper end of the stocking to provide a good appearance and to aid the stocking in being self-supporting. The one or more complete courses II of elastic also provide a beginning selvage edge construction for the fabl ric. The panel 9 occupies substantially one-nali certain areas of the` Iof the entire number of plain wales, although being constricted, the appearance is that the panel 9 is of lesser circumferential extent than k, the panel I0. It is within the scope of this invention to extend or reduce the number4 of wales within the panel 9 so long as the top is selfsupporting.

The Figures 2 and 3 illustrate modications of. the invention, in the stocking I2 the imitation rib panel I3 is at the rear half of the stocking top and the plain panel I4 is at the front, witlitheV complete circumferentially extending courses at the upper end of the top being shown at I5. In the stocking I6, the imitation rib panel sections I8, I8, I8 are spaced apart from each other vertically by the plain intermediate panel sections I9, I9 in one-half of the top, and the imitation rib panel sections I1, I1 are spaced apart from each other vertically by the pla-in intermediate panel section I9 in the other half of the top, the 20 panel sections I1 and I8 being staggered with relation to each other, each section I1 and vI8 being opposite a section I9. The complete circumferentially extending courses at the upper end of the top being shown at 20. Each of the sec- 25 tions I1 and I8 extend preferably half way around the top, but may extend for less or more than this distance and in the latter event will v embrace a certain number `of wales in common in the overlapping areas.

Figure 4 is illustrative of one manner of incorporating the elastic yarn 22 in the rear face of' the plain fabric made of the yarn 2 I. In the knitting on a circular machine certain recurrent needles only take the elastic yarn in their hooks 35 at a point in advance of the regular knitting station, the elastic yarn floating in back of the intervening needles. At the regular knitting station all the needles rise to take the main yarn 2l and in doing so ,cause the loops, and the 40 lengths of elastic on the recurrent needles, to be positioned below the opened latches. Upon knitting the main yarn 2l, the recurrent needles cause the elastic to be cast oi unknit and caught in the fabric as shown at 23, 23 in the wales 45 24, 24, thus securely incorporating the elastic. Instead of thus incorporating the elastic yarn, it may be actually knit in with the body yarn -as a plated stitch or as a separate stitch, the particular manner of incorporating the elastic being 50 immaterial.

The fabric in Figure 4 is stretchced at with the elastic yarn and the plain fabric lying side by side, however, in Figure 5 which is a section of Figure 4 on lines 5 5, the fabric is shown in the natural shape it assumes when the elastic yarn is permitted to contract to its natural state. It will be seen that the Wales betwen the' wales in which the elastic is caught, extend outwardly to give a rib eiect to the top. In this instance the elastic is caught in every fth Wale and every fourth course, but obviously this may be varied as desired so long as the rib effect is retained in the fabric.

l. In the circular knitting machine in making the panel eiect of the imitation rib as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the operation of the machine is adjusted so that the elastic yarn is first incorporated into the complete course or courses at Il, I5 or 20 by action of the complete circle of needles and thereafter the elastic is taken by the series of recurrent needles' in the appropriate one-half of the needle circle, the needles in the other half of the needle circle taking the body yarn only. Thus `the elastic yarn, in the panel sections, is taken by the recurrent needles in onehalf the needle circle and is floated in each course across the needle circle from the first to the last of the recurrent needles. The leg and foot of the stocking is made in the usual manner and upon removal from the machine the floats of the elastic yarn are preferably cut out and discarded. In order to insure that the ends l of the elastic in the panels will not pull out or creep coursewise, the end needle or needles taking the elastic yarn may knit the same into the body fabric. p

It has been found that4 with the elastic panel sections extending substantially half way around the top, that it is easier, due to the non-contracted plain knit section such as I0 and the absence of complete courses of elastic, to pull the stocking over the heel of the foot of the wearer. Also that in position on the leg, the elastic panel is suicient to cause the stocking to be selfsup-l porting without causing the courses of the elastic yarn 22 to bind the leg, stop the circulation of blood, or cause objectionable marks on the flesh of the leg. When the elastic yarn courses eX- tend completely around and throughout the top,

it is the elastic which is held in place, Whereas with the elastic yarn in panels it acts as a takeup in the plain fabric, causing the latter to be drawn taut around the leg and this in addition to the presence of the horizontal floats of the elastic 22 on the inside of the elastic panels, makes the hose self-supporting.

I claim:

1. In an article of hosiery, a leg portion comprising a body having a top, said top being plain knit of inelastic fabric thread and having an elastic thread incorporated at the upper end of said top for one or more complete courses and incorporated in partial courses only of other courses of said top to provide an imitation rib eiect in the portion of the top comprising said partial courses, said portion comprising a substantially Wale-wise extending area.

2. In an article of hosiery, a foot portion, a leg portion comprising a. body having a top, said top being plain knit of inelastic fabric thread and having an elastic thread incorporated at the upperend of said top for one or more complete courses and incorporated in substantially half courses only of other courses of said top to provide an imitation rib effect'in the half portion of the top comprising said half courses.

3. In an article of hosiery, a foot portion, a leg portion comprising a body portion having a top, said top being plain knit of inelastic fabric thread and having an elastic thread incorporated at the upper end of said top for one or more complete courses and incorporated in the front half' only in the remainder of said top to provide an imitation rib effect therein.

4. In an article of hosiery, a foot portion, a leg portion comprising a body portion having a top, said top being plain knit of inelastic fabric thread and having an elastic thread incorporated at the upper end of said top for one or more complete courses and incorporated in the rear half only in the remainder of said top to provide an imitation rib eiect therein.

5. In an article of hosiery, a foot portion, a leg portion comprising a body portion having a top, said top being plain knit of inelastic fabric thread and having an elastic thread incorporated at the upper end of said top for one or more complete courses and incorporated in each of a plurality of separate sections to provide an .imlta' tion rib eiect in each section, each of said sections extending for a. number` of courses, the sections being staggered with relation to each other in said top.

JOHN LEE LESHER. 

